A Commando who was ready for the Posh manager’s job five years ago

Facts about new Peterborough United manager Dave Robertson as revealed in an interview with the club’s official website.

*Dave was born 41 years ago in Dagenham, Essex.

*His father and grandfather both served in the Royal Marines.

*Dave’s three passions as a youngster were playing football, riding his bike and supporting West Ham.

*He was a mascot for West Ham v Preston at Upton Park aged six. He walked onto the pitch alongside Trevor Brooking.

*Dave decided he would try and win a youth team place at a Football League club before the age of 16.

*He failed to find a club so he turned to Plan B which was to be become a Commando in the Royal Marines.

*Dave enlisted with the Marines at 16. He passed his training aged 17 and went on his first tour at 18.

*He went on two tours of West Belfast and served in Kuwait. He did his arctic training in Norway and completed jungle warfare training. Dave said: “There was a fantastic camaraderie and togetherness in the Marines. In football if you make a mistake your team-mates can get you out of a hole, but if you make a mistake in the Marines, your mates life could be at risk. That makes you concentrate.”

*Dave caught a nasty virus when training in the jungle which led to a scarring of his heart.

*He had a pacemaker fitted as a result of that scarring which led to his discharge from the Marines in 1998 as he could no longer serve on warships or be around sensitive electrical equipment. His heartrate can drop to 33 beats a minute.

*Dave admitted he was devastated to leave the Marines, but he said: “I firmly believe things happen for a reason and leaving the Marines enabled me to go back into football.”

*He caused his doctor stress when he twice accidentally pulled out the wires attached to his pacemaker. Once when he went in for challenge with a goalkeeper in a match. “The doctor told me to calm down, but I told him I had to keep living my life. I scored when I challenged that goalkeeper.”

*Dave loves a challenge. He has completed two 30-mile runs and once cycled from Peterborough to Brighton to raise money for a mini-bus for a kid’s football team.

*After leaving the Marines, Dave worked at Crystal Palace for a couple of years before Barry Fry invited him to re-create a youth system at Posh in 2004.

*Dave admits he was motivated by an article in the Evening Telegraph soon after his appointment at Posh. “The local paper said I had no chance of succeeding as the best players from this area had all gone to Boston, Cambridge or Norwich. I love proving people wrong and two of those clubs can no longer rival the Posh Academy.

*Dave applied for the Posh first-team manager’s job twice before he was eventually successful, “I knew I was ready for a Football League manager’s job five years ago. I have applied for the Posh job on two other occasions. I remember (Posh chairman) Darragh MacAnthony saying he wanted to find the next Brendan Rodgers and I said ‘you might be looking at him.’

*Dave has lofty ambitions in football, “I want to manage in the Premier League and I want to be England manager. If you don’t dream, you won’t achieve.”

Robertson interview in full can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBRD11zmJgA